New Covid strains, seasonal ailments may spike hospitalisation in winter

13 XBB variants detected in Maharashtra are all under home-isolation; the strain spreads rapidly and is said to be behind the recent spike in Singapore

Experts have cautioned against letting the guard down now as the new mutations on the block – BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 – are leading to a surge in cases across the world. What worries the scientific and medical community is that an immune-escape Covid-19 strain coupled with the natural spike in influenza and pneumonia cases during winters may lead to a rise in hospitalisations.

India recently reported new Covid-19 cases such as XBB (Omicron subvariant), and the BQ.1 variant. Maharashtra has reported BA.2.3.20 variant too. A new recombinant variant BXX too is being picked up by the Indian Sars-CoV-2 Consortium on